


drawn to you (baby i'm no match)

by hanyauku



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Romance, bt theres nothing dirtyksjhdkfjh, hksjdhf minhyuk jst...gay ..., mild crack, there might be like....mildly suggestive language?, theyre all gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-03-09 12:36:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13481631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanyauku/pseuds/hanyauku
Summary: minhyuk makes a series of mistakes, beginning with his mad descent the day he likes the very first picture on chae_hyungwon's account





	1. Chapter 1

Minhyuk has made several mistakes in his life – befriending Yoo Kihyun, trying to piss into a wastebasket when he was on an Overwatch streak, eating sand at the beach when he was hungry and a broke college student.

The list is endless.

January 18 marks the day Lee Minhyuk makes the biggest mistake of his entire damn life.

Now **chae_hyungwon** has an extra notification on his Instagram account that’s just a bit different from the others, because Minhyuk has had his nose stuck in Hyungwon’s pictures for the past hour, scrolling through exactly 1,562 selfies, dance clips, food shots, and rather _interesting_ ab reveals.

And Minhyuk?

Minhyuk is a raging freak whose fingers are greasy from the panini he’s been trying to finish in this godforsaken cafe, and when he tries to scroll down to see that cute picture of pouty lips and straight pearly-whites, he ends up smudging the screen. A rub of his fingers with the intention of clearing away the grease ends up with him accidentally tapping the screen.

Right on that little heart.

He ends up giving the photo a ‘like’.

On a photograph of Hyungwon in his dance studio, glittery eyes and wide grin, taken 132 weeks ago, back when he first started his instagram.

In fact, it’s the _very first picture_.

Meaning Minhyuk has nosed his way down to the very first picture in Chae Hyungwon’s account and revealed himself as a freak of a fanboy.

Others might have done it, of course they have. But Minhyuk’s probably the first one who’s got a singing account where he hides his face behind Luffy plushies and makes callout posts for _cucumbers_.

So Minhyuk freezes mid-bite, teeth hovering around the panini as he screws his eyes shut and swallows so hard he might as well try to suck his entire throat in.

He enters a realm of nonexistence as he puts his panini back down, and then the phone too – locking the screen so he can stare into his lap and contemplate crawling into a box and shipping himself to a remote island off the coast of Canada where he can start his own maple syrup factory.

And then it all hits.

Because Lee Minhyuk is an _appreciator_ – of beautiful people, their beautiful smiles, their beautiful laughs, of beautiful dances.

He, however, does not want people to _know_ that he routinely goes through all of Hyungwon’s pictures, let alone _Hyungwon himself_.

After all, Minhyuk’s just a poor twenty year old college student trying to make ends meet and maybe he’s overreacting but for the next ten minutes he keeps rubbing his temples while he thinks “ _is this the reality you wanted?”_

The rational, less used, part of his brain tries to make him understand, tries to reason it’s way through the haze of pizza grease and video games. Of course Hyungwon isn’t going to notice him, given that Minhyuk’s username is **vitasunhyuk** and the profile picture is a drawing of a pizza slice kicking a cucumber. He shouldn’t be particularly eye catching or interesting.

After all, Hyungwon must get hundreds of notifications a day.

However, the other part of Minhyuk’s brain tells him he’s fucked and he might as well just take a long walk off a short pier because he basically just revealed his undying love and devotion for a boy he’s had a crush on for over a year.

It’s another one of Minhyuk’s mistakes, in retrospect – falling for an internet sensation of all things, in the first place.

He first started paying attention to Hyungwon, back when his dance videos first popped up on Minhyuk’s recommended videos on youtube.

Hyungwon had just turned nineteen, and a few dance videos later, Minhyuk found out there were also had a few videos where Hyungwon had vlogs and video game streamings.

Thus begins the descent into the rabbit’s hole.

Minhyuk remembers Hyungwon’s first videos, back when his voice used to crack and he’d scratch his cheek every five seconds.

Since then, Hyungwon has grown in popularity. It first flared up when he started making his own choreographies and once his selfie game stepped up from ‘cute’ to ‘holy fuck’ once puberty fully deepened his voice and he learned all his angles.

Other than that, Hyungwon still posts random videos of his collabs with dancer **sonhyunwoo1,** Son Hyunwoo, and soundcloud rapper **imwhat_iam,** Im Changkyun, on his youtube. Just to rub salt into the wound, he also occasionally posts vlogs of him marathoning old One Piece episodes.

So overall, Hyungwon’s laid back, sweet, dog-loving, a dancer, and a cheerful guy who either writes with a lot of dumb emojis or with perfect grammar and a reflective way of perceiving things.

While Minhyuk’s a broke college student who likes Overwatch too much and only showers once a week.

It’s considered young love these days, a milestone of sorts, to follow someone on social media and semi-stalk their every post until you develop an emotional attachment to someone you can never have.

But even knowing that it’s perfectly normal, that it’s pretty common, Minhyuk still feels a bit embarrassed. It’s not like he’s Hyungwon’s only fanboy or anything, but he still doesn’t want Hyungwon to _know_.

He must be panicking more outwardly than he thinks because soon Kihyun’s turning to him with a raised eyebrow, leaning back in his seat as he sips from a cup of coffee.

“Forgot to study for another exam?”

They’ve been sitting in this dingy cafe for the past hour or so, with the original intent of studying, but Jooheon’s streaming a Naruto episode on his phone as his textbook lies open on the table, and Kihyun’s got his planner flipped open with a series of checkmarks down the page. Fucking proactive asshole.

“N–no,” Minhyuk croaks, waving a hand in the air dismissively and fidgeting in his seat. He’s not even that hungry anymore and his minor obsession with Hyungwon is starting to take a toll on his mental processing.

“You good, bro?” Jooheon asks, lifting his head away from his phone, even though his eyes are still trained on the screen.

They’re both his closest friends who happen to know about his little crush, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

“Mhm,” Minhyuk hums, voice cracking as he smiles uncomfortably, eye twitching. “Just, you know,” he says, shoving his fist into his mouth and biting down on his knuckles, “casually dying. Completely normal.”

Kihyun snorts. “Have fun with that,” he says, like the wonderful friend he is, and turns back to his coffee.

Jooheon just smiles absently, nodding and humming. “That’s nice, hyung.”

There’s the usual hum of chatter and coffee brewing in the cafe, along with the tapping of Kihyun’s pen on the table and Jooheon’s little jolts of laughter.

“I liked Hyungwon’s picture. The first one. From about two years ago.”

Kihyun and Jooheon both look up, the tapping and laughter ceased.

Jooheon squints. “That dancer boy who’s semi-famous?”

Minhyuk shifts in his seat, eyes dead to match his soul. “Yeah.”

Kihyun sighs, tilting his head to the side, and takes a moment to comprehend the situation at hand. “Well,” he starts, waving a hand vaguely, “I feel like he probably won’t even see it, right? Like what’s the chances of–”

He’s cut off by the sharp buzzing of Minhyuk’s phone, the screen lighting up with an Instagram notification.

 **_chae_hyungwon_ ** _liked your picture_

Another buzz.

 **_chae_hyungwon_ ** _liked your picture_

Another buzz.

 **_chae_hyungwon_ ** _liked your video_

Third buzz.

 **_chae_hyungwon_ ** _liked your picture_

Fourth.

 **_chae_hyungwon_ ** _started following you +_

The three of them are completely silent, Jooheon’s mouth parted, eyes round, and Kihyun’s brows rising slowly on his forehead until wrinkles shape on his face.

And Minhyuk?

Minhyuk isn’t even breathing.

And in that exact moment, he remembers his bio: _hello i am minhyuk aka the sunshine you need and deserve. sometimes i sing and stuff :D_.

Minhyuk stares at his screen, eyes blown open so wide they might as well roll out of his head.

When he looks up, both Kihyun and Jooheon are staring at him.

Jooheon slowly reaches out with a hand, like if he moves too fast he might startle Minhyuk, and places his hand atop Minhyuk’s.

“We’re in public,” Kihyun says slowly, voice low and face pulled into an expression that indicates he knows Minhyuk is about ten seconds away from detonation.

Minhyuk swallows thickly, mouth parting a bit. “Right,” he croaks, “okay.” He inhales. “I’m gonna go to the restroom really quick.”

Jooheon casts him a concerned look. “Okay, bro. I’m–I’m here if you need me.”

“Okay,” Minhyuk squeaks, raising from his seat and turning around, face pale as he makes a beeline to the restrooms.”

 

-

 

When Minhyuk comes back to the table, some fifteen minutes later, he’s regained some color in his face and his breathing is back to normal.

His hair is mussed, though, and the collar of his shirt is rumpled, as a smile threatens to form on his face at the same time as a grimace, a strain of too many emotions at once.

Jooheon looks less worried now, mostly amused, and Kihyun still looks like he’s scared of Minhyuk losing his shit in a cafe.

“Hey,” he snaps, swatting Minhyuk’s hand away when the latter tries to reach for his phone. “No. Don’t check until you get home.”

And normally, Minhyuk would just tell him to fuck off, but this time he decides to take the advice, more for health reasons than anything else.

When they finally leave, he nearly forgets his coat on his seat and almost walks into a wall before Jooheon’s steady hands are guiding him out the glass door.

 

-

 

The door to his apartment clicks shut with a resounding sound.

He only lives a few train stops off campus, in a relatively cheap neighborhood, though the fact that Kihyun’s his roommate probably makes things easier on him, in terms of rent.

“Jooheon and I are gonna be in my room,” Kihyun calls out as he toes his shoes off by the front door, linking pinkies with the younger male.

Jooheon just smiles at him and waves in Minhyuk’s direction, already looping an arm around Kihyun’s waist.

Disgusting couples.

And then the door to Kihyun’s room closes, the faint sound of a lock clicking, and the only thing Minhyuk sees is Dambi’s little legs skittering down the hall.

It’s like it awakens him slightly from the daze he’s in, flumping down onto his sofa and screaming into a pillow – it comes out in a long shriek as he grabs Dambi and holds her close to his chest, voice cracking.

“Hyungwon–” Minhyuk squeals, holding Dambi close to his chest, tears welling in the corners of his eyes, “Hyungwon _noticed_ me!”

Dambi wriggles in his arms, but Minhyuk’s too far gone to care, merely continuing to make ugly noises as he squishes her against his chest.

It’s another twenty minutes before Minhyuk can pull himself together enough to gather the pieces and mutter about how this must be a giant mistake, because there’s no way Hyungwon didn't think Minhyuk liking his very first picture was in any way _not_ creepy.

However, when Minhyuk has himself nestled comfortably in his bed, mug of tea in one hand, phone in the other, the first thing he notices is a little red bubble in the corner of his screen that says ‘1’.

He stares. Minhyuk has exactly six followers on his Instagram – one of them is his mom and the other five are his friends. He sits there for a moment, wondering if it’s the usual, ‘hi my name is Cindy and would you like to meet more hot singles in your area who can plant viruses in your device?’

A little click sounds in the room when he checks it.

His eyes flit over the words. And then the sender’s user.

**chae_hyungwon**

_you have a beautiful voice, hyung_

A split second later, there’s green tea sprinkled in fine rain dust all over his expensive screen and Minhyuk’s on the floor hyperventilating.

He inhales gulps of air as he drops his phone onto his mattress and rushes into the kitchen in search of a cloth to wipe that screen because he’s poor and he can’t afford a new phone.

It doesn’t make it any better that once he checks his notifications, he finds that Hyungwon has liked every single picture of his – granted there’s only twenty-seven.

Quite frankly, Minhyuk’s account doesn’t have all that many pictures, mostly consisting of One Piece screenshots or sneaky shots taken of Kihyun sleeping with his mouth open, face scrunched into an ugly expression, with the caption **‘hi ugly’** (Kihyun always leaves a **‘fuck u’** in the comments). Scattered in there is also one or two pictures of Jooheon smiling with a little heart emoji as a caption.

Aside from that, there’s a couple videos of a white screen where Minhyuk’s voice warms over the microphone and as a guitar plays in the background, most in korean, a few in english.

And Hyungwon has liked every single one of them.

Minhyuk holds a hand over his chest and shakily breathes in, looking down at his laptop as he attempts to type out a response to the message.

_‘you fucking liar–’_

No, that’s unfriendly and weird.

_‘omg thanks! my mom tells me that too and –’_

What the fuck is that.

‘ _(●♡∀♡) uah oppa i love u sosososo much and–’_

Jesus.

_‘listen please tell me this isnt a prank–’_

No, not that either.

Minhyuk’s fingers hover over his keyboard for another thirty seconds, taking a deep breath.

He clicks on the message bar again and starts typing, finally composing an appropriate answer.

‘ _thanks.’_

He realizes ten seconds later that he sounds like an ass and he _really_ should not have put that period there because now it resembles the text of a passive aggressive angsty teen.

Minhyuk puts his phone down on his bed and promptly takes a pillow, sitting on his shins to smash his face into it, in the hopes that it might smother him.

 

-

 

Hyungwon doesn’t answer.

Even though after a good ten minutes of attempting an ascent to another alternate dimension where he doesn’t send bad messages to beautiful boys, Minhyuk sends another few . . . good-natured messages.

_‘i mean i just love your dancing and everything so this made me happy!’_

Fuck.

_‘like we’ve never met but i just love your dancing!’_

_‘theres no ulterior motive i promise!’_

_‘haha’_

Yet now he slumps in his room, eight days later, with no reply.

It must’ve been obvious, he mourns, curled up on his couch. Hyungwon must’ve recognized his thirst and now thinks that Minhyuk should go drink the Pacific Ocean.

Quite honestly, it isn’t that far off the mark. but Minhyuk tries not to think about it too much as he focuses all his mental energy on the stack of homework he has to complete.

But then that’s done and he’s left staring up at his bedroom ceiling, hands folded over his stomach.

Hyungwon’s still following him on Instagram, and since then, Minhyuk’s had a significant gain in followers. In fact, it’s gone up by about four hundred followed by at least thirty comments on each video with something along the lines of ‘ _i love your voice minhyuk oppa!’_ because Hyungwon only follows twelve other users that are known to belong to his other dancer or blogger friends. He even finds a couple commenting _‘hot!’_ or _‘oppa! i love you!’_ on his selfies.

There’s even a comment from **_hyungwonlover15_ ** who says ‘ _is hyungwon gay? (っ˘̩╭╮˘̩)っ’_ and Minhyuk nearly chokes on his own spit when he sees it.

He feels like he’s on an episode of Punk’d.

And it’s the weekend now, so Minhyuk doesn’t have much to do, aside from listening to every single buzz from his phone while he tries to deny it all, pushing his anxieties away by binge watching the second season of Free! and swallowing entire boxes of pizza.

But then it all kind of catches up to him when he checks his phone and finds over fifty notifications, all varying on the same shade of asking him who he is.

So the next day finds him sitting on the edge of his bed, legs folded and Luffy plushie held up next to his head, camera held in front of his face with an outstretched arm.

He doesn’t even know what he’s doing, grimacing as the sees his face in the camera but angling the phone anyways. Minhyuk’s fingers tighten around the plushie and he smiles into the camera, blinking cutely.

He takes a deep breath in and presses the record button –

“Hey guys! Minhyuk here! I so glad you like all my videos and and pictures and my voice! I’ve been a pretty big fan of Hyungwon oppa since – _fuck_ ”

It takes another twelve tries before he remembers to stop calling Hyungwon oppa because firstly, he could _not_ possibly be any more gay, and secondly, Hyungwon’s _fucking_ younger than him.

But Hyungwon likes being called oppa, right?

No that’s stupid why would he ever want Minhyuk to call him that.

By the time he has the video posted to his Instagram, he has another filter swiped over his face and he’s managed to stop calling Hyungwon _oppa_.

 

-

 

In retrospect, this might actually be another big mistake to add to his growing list.

He wakes up the next morning, bleary eyed and dazed. His laptop lies on the floor and his phone keeps buzzing loudly on his wooden floor, jolting every now and then.

When he clicks his phone open, the lock screen is filled with a slew of Instagram notifications, a few rolling in as he types his password in.

Minhyuk blinks rapidly, sleep ebbing away as he takes in the sight of another two hundred or so followers and more notifications than he can count.

One catches his eye more than the rest though, where it says **_chae_hyungwon liked your video_ **.

And then right underneath, in little bright lettering is also, **_chae_hyungwon left a comment on your video:_ **

_hyung...you’re so cute…_

That’s when Minhyuk blacks out.

When he finally comes to, he realizes that this, in fact, is _not_ a dream and that _Chae Hyungwon_ just called him cute.

And it’s apparently also not a dream that there’s another jumble of comments beneath it include one from **_hyungwonnie_ ** who writes _is this a new ship?’_ and another from **_ilyshownu_ ** who says _‘oppas together!!!’_

He tries not to pass out when he clicks on the new little red bubble hovering over his dms and finds a new message from Hyungwon.

**chae_hyungwon**

_you’re a fan of me? i’m a pretty big fan of yours, really. and your voice is so nice . . . i love the way you say my name. my skype is_ **_hyungwonchae_ ** _. add me if youd like!_

It’s light and casual and Minhyuk stares at the way Hyungwon spells all his words out and doesn’t abbreviate, whereas Minhyuk has to fight really hard to not write out _‘me???? u mEAN ME??????? HELLO!!!?????’_

He uses Skype fairly often, forcing Kihyun and Jooheon to use it, despite the fact that he lives with Kihyun and Jooheon’s over so often he might as well live with him too. Aside from that, Minhyuk also likes bothering Hoseok every now and then, especially when he sends those bright yellow smileys to the older man, with the inevitable result of discomfort.

So the first thing he sees when he logs in is a message from **_$waggerman_matthew_ ** who asks ‘ _sup bro did u take all my anime dvds or wat’_

He doesn’t bother answering because a). he’s got bigger things to be dealing with and b). Jooheon can live without being answered for a few extra minutes, so Minhyuk immediately clicks the _add user_ button.

It takes more courage than he’d like to admit – typing out Hyungwon’s user into the box and clicking the little ‘ _send friend request!’_

He heaves out a groan and falls flat on his back.

For the first time in his life, he considers being proactive and finishing that project due in two weeks–

A ping from his computer screen disrupts his train of thought, a chat box popping up in the corner.

**_hyungwonchae_ **

_uh...hey minhyuk hyung….is this you?_

And then Minhyuk remembers that: his profile photo is set to a picture of Naruto mid-run, his bio is “idk whats more gay: fact that i like dick or that god said no homo and then put the prostate up a man’s asshole….god, a dysfunctional gay", and his username is **_fursonaminhyuk._**

He wants to set himself on fire.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which minhyuk falls just a little bit more

It takes fifteen minutes of hyperventilating before Minhyuk manages to pull himself together well enough to change his profile picture to a picture of the sky with a nice pretty sun. Harmless.

He then adjusts his bio to say “i love singing and anime!” Unfortunately, nothing can be done about his username, so his best chance lies in hoping that Hyungwon has no idea what furries are – a difficult feat in today’s political climate.

By the time he has everything nicely done, Hyungwon has already sent a message.

**_hyungwonchae_ ** : im kind of nervous actually….

To which Minhyuk takes a deep breath. Because this is real right now.

The bubble on the screen moves again and this time Hyungwon sends another message.

**_hyungwonchae_ ** _:_ you there?

Minhyuk nearly smashes his keyboard in an attempt to respond quickly enough.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_** nnnnnn yes im

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** right here im right here

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** hi

**_fursonaminhyuk_ ** _:_ uh….i mean hello….hyungwon..

**_fursonaminhyuk_ ** _:_ am i..am i allowed to calk u thay

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** am i allowed to call u that

_hyungwonchae is typing…_

Minhyuk sucks in a breath and tries to calm his panicked heart. He’s not always the best over text, or even in person, especially considering his habit of tripping over his own words around pretty boys.

**_hyungwonchae:_** you can call me whatever you’re comfortable w...but hyungwon is nice

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** your actual name is minhyuk right?

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** its not like. a fake name

**_hyungwonchae:_ **  wait sorry its fine if youd rather not tell me

It’s kind of amusing.

Watching someone who seems to be more inept than Minhyuk, that is, at online interactions.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** i can call u hyungwob!

He can’t even fucking spell it right. What if Hyungwon hates people who type too quickly or people who make typos?

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** i mean ! **hyungwon

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** sometimes i type fast abd i mess up

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** and minhyuks my real name

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** well i mean. not minhyuks. its minhyuk.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** forgot the apostrophe haha ! grammar!

It’s painful, not only to watch helplessly as his own fingers type out the words, but to also watch those same fingers click enter and send those terrible, cringeworthy messages.

_hyungwonchae is typing…_

Minhyuk exhales loudly and smacks his palms against his forehead. Even on the internet–on a fucking virtual chat where he can’t even _see_ Hyungwon’s face–he’s an awkward mess.

He peeks between his fingers when he hears a little ping sound from his laptop, eyes scanning over Hyungwon’s message.

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** hey minhyuk!

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** im sorry for all the ah. weird comments or things you mightve gotten from my fans…

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** they can be a bit wild sometimes lol

Minhyuk inhales shakily and lets his fingers hover over the keyboard, teeth chewing into his lower lip.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** dont worry abt it!!

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** haha they seem more in love w kihyun than me

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** i mean like. they like him more or whatever

He’s spiraling.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ **  aaaahhhh kihyuns my roommate hes dumb idk why they like him!!

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** he and i live seoul too! were only like a few minutes from your dance studio

Oh God, now he’s gone and given Hyungwon concrete evidence of his painful fanboy side.

He might as well give him his social security number, credit card number, and address.

In his state of panic, that’s almost exactly what he does.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** I mean like. lmao !!!!! we only live like kjdshfkjdhf ten mins from ur place u could even visit!

Oh God.

He reads over the message just as his finger smacks the ‘enter’ button, mind flashing back to that episode of 1000 Ways To Die (for future reference).

Which results in him flopping facedown into his bed, banging his fists against the sheets as he relaizes there’s no way he can take back the complete word vomit he just spewed over the screen. He can almost picture Hyungwon’s face–his sweet, beautiful, gorgeous face–pulled into a panicked expression as he types a _‘yikes lmao nvm’_ into the message box.

It’s not that Minhyuk is some mindless fanboy with some glorified version of Hyungwon in his head. He knows that Hyungwon is just . . . _human_. Flaws and oddities and quirks and even dumb things he’s apologized for.

But it’s just that he’s been such a source of inspiration for Minhyuk, someone who isn’t afraid to chase his dreams and go for anything he likes.

Minhyuk has always taken comfort in the fact that he can wake up to see new updates on Hyungwon’s Youtube channel or Instagram, a new dance cover or selfie paired with a weird caption.

Overall, Minhyuk just likes the fact that Hyungwon . . . _exists_. Even if he’s always told himself there’s no way Hyungwon will ever know that he exists, even if they lived in an alternate universe.

So even though it looks like Minhyuk is projecting all of his glorified thoughts onto Hyungwon, he’s really _not_.

But then he hears the ping of another message and he can’t stop the loud incoherent wail he unleashes.

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** i just might take u up on that :p

Minhyuk blinks.

He takes another minute to let the internal monologue he was just going through flush out of his mind, and instead focuses on hugging Dambi and crying about how the real world is an illusion and how he lives in heaven.

Dambi skitters in his hold, dripping spit onto his forearm, but quite frankly, Minhyuk doesn’t give a shit.

When he finally gets back to the chat, he’s surprised to find that Hyungwon continued.

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** i jst. im sorry i aked to talk to you so suddenly…

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** i found your account by sheer coincidence and i was…

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** god your voice is so nice, hyung

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** i jst love your voice so much...like im not trying to be creepy or anything…

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** but its so beautiful

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** have you considered doing full covers?

Minhyuk thinks he should invest in soundproofing his apartment, considering he probably won’t ever stop screaming.

Their conversation continues from there.

It’s a little stilted at first, awkward pauses where Minhyuk makes sure to not type something ridiculously embarrassing.

But it’s also nice, the way Hyungwon talks to him. It’s like they’re . . . equals . . . like they’re in the same category of sorts.

That they both have this talent that they discuss because they work in the same type of media, almost as if Hyungwon is talking to someone he _admires_.

He asks Minhyuk questions about his singing–how long he’s been doing them, why he won’t post actual covers, says he likes the dumb posts Minhyuk makes about cucumbers, mentions jokingly that Minhyuk should change up his selfies a little, _for the sake of the fans._

It works into something easy, something fluid, where Minhyuk realizes he hasn’t panicked and squealed in  the past hour, where he’s been messaging Hyungwon. And even though their current topic of conversation is Hyungwon’s dinner with his dancer friends last night, a picture of which he posted on his Instagram last night and Minhyuk already knows of, he doesn’t lose his mind in a series of cringeworthy messages like he usually does.

He doesn’t even know _why_ Hyungwon would have been interested in ever messaging him, but for right now, he chooses not to think about it, leaving his brain in the closet (which is coincidentally where he himself has lived for a greater part of his life).

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** ah...i have to go now since i have a training session…

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** time really does fly..

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** i really liked talking w you, minhyuk!

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** i didnt really

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** i didnt expect for us to get along so well

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** i guess i just dont keep track of my brain uh

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** i didbt even know you were a fan…

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** i dont wanna like. scare u or anything

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** but we could chat again sometime? if youd like?

Minhyuk feels his face getting ready to split open with how wide he’s smiling,

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** yae

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** yeha!

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** yea!

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** yes!

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ **  god sorry i mean uh. yeah ofc

And so maybe Minhyuk isn’t completely over his starry eyed phase of fanboying over Hyungwon, but he doesn’t really care either way, to be completely honest.

The most surprising thing comes from the fact that once they’ve ended the chat, he isn’t just left with a feeling of admiration alone, there’s also something mellow and tender in his chest, something he likes more than the fanboy side of himself.

He likes to think this might be the start of something new.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** IM LITERALLY FUCKING ASTRAL PROJECTING INTO HEAVEN DONT TALK TO ME DONT FOLLOW ME THIS IS THE LIFESTYLE I LIVE NOW

**_$waggerman_matthew:_ ** lmao ok bro did u watch last week’s ep of shingeki no kyojin or ???

**_$waggerman_matthew:_ ** i need 2 knwo

 

-

 

Concentrating during class gets a little hard when Minhyuk’s phone won’t stop buzzing the entirety of class, blushing every time he hears the sound of a notification. That is, until Kihyun snatches his phone up with a glare and silences his notifications.

Since that weekend, he hasn’t been able to chat for very long with Hyungwon, only a couple times a day in conversations that last about fifteen or so minutes because Hyungwon is busy with practice or Minhyuk has lectures to attend.

But Hyungwon is cute, sending him little inquiries about his day and links to songs he thinks would match Minhyuk’s voice well.

So Minhyuk doesn’t really mind all that much, doesn’t care about how much time it’ll take for them to adjust to each other's schedules.

The realization is a little jarring, especially because it takes Minhyuk some time to realize that this isn’t some sort of scam, or sick catfishing game.

And it takes even more time adjusting to his newfound fame, one that takes off when Hyungwon comments _‘I wish you’d do more covers, hyung! Your voice is so good!’_ as if they’re close friends or something. Probably because he knows that Minhyuk needs that one little push.

And Minhyuk considers making a song cover, all for the sake of this one boy from the internet who says he’d like to hear more.

The only things that have changed on his instagram is the sudden influx of followers, paired with new comments and likes on all his song covers, as well as the random pictures he posts where he compares Kihyun to garbage cans, dumpsters, cucumbers, and the like.

Comments pile up on those posts, too–fangirls commenting _‘Oppa looks so cute! Like a baby hamster!’ – ‘I literally look nothing like a hamster’ – ‘Hamster Oppa~’ – ‘Hey Minhyuk: I’ll kill you.’_

They eventually found Kihyun’s account, as well as Jooheon’s. But it’s really not that big of a deal, considering the way Jooheon’s chest puffs up every time he sees a comment calling him handsome.

Minhyuk mulls over his existence, slumped over a table at the library, gatorade in one hand, phone in the other.

“So you think he just wanted to talk to you about your voice?” Kihyun sounds amused, legs crossed as he twirls the pen between his fingers and leans back in his seat. His textbook is propped open in front of him, a facade of getting work done so they all feel just a little bit more accomplished when they leave.

“You really think he swoons over your voice constantly and he’s not gay?” Jooheon interjects, eyebrow raised. “He said your voice is _beautiful_. That’s gay, bro.”

Minhyuk groans and rolls his face over the surface of the table, stomping his feet. “I don’t fucking know! He’s just always texting me things about how my voice sounds like honey and how I should make longer covers. But it’s never like, too much. He never pushes me, you know?”

“This is like, beginner sexting for dumbasses,” Hoseok says from across the table, leaning back in his seat with his hands clasped in front of his legs, elbows on the armrests and pencil poised between his pouting lips and nose. “You guys aren’t even being sexy...it’s just _gushy_.”

Minhyuk glares at him and flicks an eraser nub across the table, directly into Hoseok’s eye.

“He’s not wrong,” Kihyun adds, shrugging. “You guys just talk about how talented the other is.”

That’s because Hyungwon is the most talented person Minhyuk has ever met in his entire life.

“Maybe he’ll capitalize off of Minhyuk and make him famous, which will bring Hyungwon attention,” Hoseok says with a smirk.

Minhyuk laughs at this, nose scrunching at the thought of being _famous_ , because if anything, he’d probably only be famous for the impressive stack of anime posters he hides in the back of his closet that he’s sure will bring him tremendous profit in the future.

“Yeah, okay guys,” he snorts, “Hyungwon’s using _me_ to get famous.”

His mind has been pretty exhausted these days, considering the growing pile of assignments he has to complete, but also the strange sort of attention that’s been following him recently, just because he was noticed by Hyungwon on Instagram. It’s like everything is linked and connected in one giant web, and you will always be _caught_.

The fact that his phone buzzes again just adds on to that pile of stress. Minhyuk sits up, blinking blearily as he clicks the home button on his phone. Jooheon leans forward with interest, chin perched in his hand, and Hoseok follows suit, leaving Kihyun to the side as he feigns disinterest, despite the fact that Minhyuk can see his ears perk up.

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** hey can we chat tonight? we havent been able to lately :((

It’s a Skype notification and of course Minhyuk squawks, dropping his phone onto the floor, quickly scrabbling underneath the table to pick it up again.

Jooheon’s eyes look like they’re going to roll out of their sockets, what with how hard he’s staring at Minhyuk’s phone, and pretty soon, the three boys are surrounding Minhyuk, peering over his shoulder to look at the message.

“Here we go,” Kihyun mutters softly, flicking his pencil to the table and cracking his knuckles.

Hoseok huffs out a breath and chews on his lower lip to his his growing grin. “Is this mister Prince Charming?” He starts, “He’s doing that gushy sexting again.” It earns him a flick to the forehead from Minhyuk.

God, he’s got to be _cool_.

Can’t act like some mess of a fanboy again.

Be charismatic and admire, but act subtle.

_Subtle_.

Yeah.

Minhyuk swipes the screen open and brings the phone so close to his face, his nose brushes the keyboard.

“What do I say?” He looks around at his friends, brows furrowed, shoulders hunched.

“Perhaps ‘I’ll wait for you until the end of my days’?” Jooheon offers.

“Denied.”

Kihyun tilts his head to the side and grins. “I’ve been waiting for you all my life.”

“Denied.”

“Maybe,” Hoseok starts, pressing his fingertips together, “you could say–”

“Denied.”

Minhyuk turns back to the screen and scratches his nose. “Uh,” he types out something, mind still stuck in trying to comprehend that he’s talking to _Chae Hyungwon_.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** ofc i can!!!

That’s a bit . . .

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** i mean like

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** ive been waiting for you

Oh god.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** I mean like ofc i can make time for you

Oh no oh no **_oh no_ ** **.**

“ _Bro_ ,” Jooheon says, with feeling. He places a comforting hand on Minhyuk’s shoulder. “Breathe, bro.”

Minhyuk breathes in and nods.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** i mean sure what time works best for you?

Minhyuk’s eyes cross as he pulls his phone even closer to his face, staring at the three dots that pop up on the screen.

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** uh hows around? 8:30 ish?

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** i have some lessons

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** it wont take that long though ive missed you

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** dksjfksdflkklkj

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** like i mean. just havent talked to you in a while i guess

Minhyuk stares at his screen, flinching when he hears Kihyun slam his hand down on the desk.

When he looks up, Kihyuk is staring into the distance with a faraway look in his eyes. “He’s just as dumb as Minhyuk.”

Hoseok laughs and lopes an arm around Minhyuk’s shoulders. “A match made in heaven, then.”

 

-

 

Minhyuk links his fingers together and fixes his gaze steadily to the messaging screen of his laptop, eyes purposefully averted from the clock ticking at the corner of the screen.

He ignores the fact that it’s well past 8:30, almost an hour late, and tries not to overthink anything.

Because Minhyuk is most definitely parked onto the edge of his bed, eyes wide and boring into his screen like he’s going to grow mushrooms on his back.

He’s totally not agonizing over the fact that Hyungwon is taking . . . a while to log onto Skype.

Dambi is the only seemingly calm being in his room, head dropped over his thigh and she wriggles around for more affection in the form of pats–or better yet, treats.

She nearly flies off his lap, though, when Minhyuk suddenly jolts up at the sound of a little ping echoing in his room.

**_sharki_ ** : jooheon keeps asking me for dick pics nd i wanna send him a hot dog to freak him out go buy me one

Minhyuk narrows his eyes and purses his lips, blowing out a raspberry before answering.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** not now dumbass im busy.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** dying

He clicks back into the tab with his messages from Hyungwon and rubs a hand over his face, smudging his glasses in the process.

Maybe it’s really all just a game, a game to make fun of Minhyuk for getting so hung up over a guy from the fucking _internet_.

He’s just about to slide off his bed to get another cup of tea when his laptop sounds a little ping again.

Minhyuk groans and tilts the screen up, bending to squint at the harsh white light, certain that it’s another whiny message from Kihyun.

But then he sees Hyungwon’s chat box lighting up with a notification. A little blue bubble with a “1”. And there’s two, three, four, and more.

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** hye minhyuik

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** hey minhyuk

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** dfksjdhfkj sorry one of my sesisons went on way lateter tahn i thougght it would

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** god sorry abaout taht

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** dhfkjsdhf just have to uh. catch my breah

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** breath

Minhyuk isn’t sure what this feeling is.

A little surreal, like he’s floating out of his body and directly into the next dimension.

He knows that Hyungwon is nice, maybe a little too nice considering how nice he’s being to a boy he only chatted with once, and it all oddly feels like some poorly written web drama, but it’s all definitely _real_.

Minhyuk is a fan of Hyungwon–he shouldn’t be able to get this close to someone famous, and it’s all just _strange_.

Strange that there’s this thin line between them that’s slowly beginning to fade.

It’s strange that Minhyuk is being given to see the boy beneath the image he puts out on social media

Strange that he’s being talked with like he’s a friend, that this isn’t some weird facade put out by the media but Hyungwon’s real, genuine interactions with him.

This definitely has to be some sort of prank.

He’s being Punk’d.

But Minhyuk thinks the risk of being broadcasted on national T.V. as a buffoon who thinks a social media star would ever talk to him is worth chatting with the same guy he’s been crushing on for a solid year.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** hey hyubgwoon!

Perfect start.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** HYUNGWON* I SWAER I DOBT MEAN TO DO THAT

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** *don’t

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** did you wait for very long :(

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** im sorry i didn’t realize we would be doing a longer session

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** no!! didn’t wait at all!

Yikes, that’s almost . . .

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** i mean like! i dont mind waiting for you

Oh God, he’s spiraling again.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** what i mean is i was waiting but uh

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** i don’t mind because i know u have busy schedules and stuff !

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** heh

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** youre cute

Minhyuk feels his whole body tense as he stares at the screen.

“How . . . dare you,” he whispers, clutching at his chest as if it’ll dull the fluttering in his heart.

He wants to type _‘what’s your intent? to kill me ? because ! it’s working!’_ but then Hyungwon sends another message.

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** ah sorry

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** was it uh. too much?

Minhyuk hiccups.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** no!!

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** its fine

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** i like being told that im cute

Minhyuk might as well busy himself alive at this point.

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** dsjhfjhk

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** you’re really cute, hyung

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** i swear

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** i’m sure you’d hear it more if you posted more selcas and

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** maybe even a full song cover?

Minhyuk grins to himself and buries himself deeper into his duvet, pulling his shirt up to his nose.

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** also like

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** i don’t wanna scare you or anything but is it possible to get your phone number

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** i just think it’d be easier to text you when i have breaks in between classes and stuff in school

yknow

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** phone calls too

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** i mean just in case

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** we can just use skype in the eveningngs anywyas

Minhyuk blinks.

Hyungwon says everything so casually, like they’ve been branded officially as friends.

As if there’s a future–a legitimate connection between them.

Minhyuk gnaws on his lower lip and stares at Dambi. She stares back.

“Okay,” he says, nodding slowly. “I’m calm.”

He makes an airy sound and blows yet another raspberry for confidence, trying to fully wrap his head around the situation.

Minhyuk pretends he isn’t screaming as he responds.

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** no heh that’s fine i’m totally okay with it!

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** just in case and stuff

**_fursonaminhyuk:_ ** anyways here’s my number

**_hyungwonchae:_ ** mkay hang on a sec

Minhyuk waits, drumming his fingers against his laptop, leaning back against his pillows.

He gets lost in thoughts, somewhere between listing all his assignments due next week and contemplating the cost of an island he can buy to escape his responsibilities, when his phone starts buzzing suddenly.

And Minhyuk is kind of out of it, so he takes the device in his hand, staring at the screen with an unfocused gaze as he takes in the unknown number, before shrugging and putting it up to his ear.

“Hello? This is Lee Minhyuk,” he says.

It’s silent for a moment, with not even a single sound from the other end.

“Hello?” He tries again.

“Hey,” a voice replies, the sound smooth and warm, more amused than Minhyuk expected a random caller to be.

Minhyuk scrunches up his nose and pushes his glasses up. “Who . . . uh who is this?”

The guy on the other end laughs and it kind of sounds familiar but more warm, close and personal.

“It’s me, Hyungwon.  
And then it all gets blurry. Minhyuk isn’t sure what happens next, all he knows is that his chest suddenly gets tight and all the nerves in his body suddenly spasm, his phone flying through the air and slamming down onto the floor.

He gasps and immediately jumps off his bed, slipping and sliding over the messy bedsheets as he fumbles to get to his phone.

Minhyuk brings the phone back up to his ear.  “H–hello? Hyungwon?”

There’s a light cough on the other end. “Minhyuk? Did something happen? I heard like, a gasp and then rustling.”

Minhyuk rubs his eyes under the rim of his glasses and sighs. “Yeah I’m uh, I’m fine. I just didn’t expect you to call me, like, what would you have done if you suddenly heard the voice you’ve only heard on your laptop for a year on the other end of a phone call? The voice of a guy you really like? God, you can’t do shit like that, I’ll really die.”

Hyungwon laughs and hums. “A guy you really like?”

Minhyuk’s cheeks grow warm before he shakes his head and scoffs. “I’m not even embarrassed, because you should have realized that by this point, considering I’ve been watching your stuff for a year.”

“Yeah, but still,” Hyungwon murmurs, “it’s different hearing you say that I’m one of your favorites.”

Minhyuk gulps and tugs at the collar of his tee. “Wh–who said you’re one of my favorites?”

“The like you gave my very first picture on Instagram.”

Minhyuk slaps his forehead.

But that’s how it goes.

And Minhyuk isn’t sure how an entire _three hours_ pass with nonsensical chatting that delves into anime then high school stories then friends and into music favorites and songs Hyungwon wants Minhyuk to cover.

“Do you get lots of offers from people who contact you specifically–not your dance team?” Minhyuk asks, laying back on his bed and playing with Dambi’s ear with the fingers of his free hand.

“Well,” Hyungwon starts, and Minhyuk can practically see his awkward shrug, “I get some occasionally because I have my own dance channel whereas the others don’t, but I usually don’t take many offers because it’s too hard to manage it while I still have things going on with school. It’s not like I’m overwhelmingly famous or anything.”

Minhyuk snorts. “Right. Not _overwhelmingly_ famous. Just enough for merch and fansign events and fanfiction and fan sites. That’s all.”

He can almost hear Hyungwon’s grin spread on the other end. “Fanfiction you say?” He purrs, voice dripping amusement, “Tell me more Minhyukie.”

Minhyuk’s cheeks flare up. “Shut up, stupid.”

“Oh? Sounded pretty interesting.”

Minhyuk rolls his eyes and huffs. “All I know is, I always end up seeing some . . . links to fics about you and that guys from your team. Hyunwoo.”

Hyungwon booms out a loud laugh, one that makes Minhyuk flinch. “You’re cute, hyung.”

Minhyuk squirms and ignores the way his face heats up. “Shut up, you keep saying that!”

“I can’t help it. It’s true.” Hyungwon pauses for a moment, as if wondering about whether or not to ask his next question. “I might even be able to give you more compliments if you make another cover? Just a short one if you still don’t want to make one that’s full length. Just one where I can see you.”

Minhyuk bites his lower lip and wriggles.

_‘One where I can see you.’_

It’s like Hyungwon just wants Minhyuk to update so he can watch Minhyuk sing for his own delight.

“Fine, fine,” Minhyuk concedes, sitting up. “What song does the golden boy want to hear?”

“That song by Daniel Caesar. Get You.”

Minhyuk blinks. He just so happens to like Daniel Caesar, too.

And he knows this one, too, though he’s never even sung it to another person, let alone a camera where more than his close friends will see it.

Minhyuk clears his throat. “Get You?”

Hyungwon hums on the other end. “Yeah . . . I like that one.” A short silence follows. “Would you mind singing that one? For me? Please?”

Minhyuk ignores the flutter in his chest when Hyungwon says ‘for me’ and laughs. “I’m starting to think you just want me to be your personal jukebox on the internet.”

“It’s possible.”

“I’ll kill you.”

Hyungwon laughs at that. “Kidding! I just want to hear more of your voice . . . see more of you, too!”

Minhyuk bites his lower lip and hunches his shoulders. “I’ll be sure to surprise you with something nice, then.”

“S-surprise?” Hyungwon stutters, and Minhyuk’s heart races. “What kind of surprise?”

“You’ll see!” Minhyuk sings, the fingers of his free hand twisting into his bedsheets.

“You suck.”

It continues like that for a few hours where Hyungwon laughs at the dumb jokes Minhyuk makes and they talk about everything and nothing.

“Anyways,” Minhyuk says, yawning into his phone, “you should go to sleep now, fool. You probably have even more training tomorrow.”

“You’re right, hyung,” Hyungwon responds, his voice deep with layers of fatigue. “And I’m sure you have class tomorrow, anyways.”

“Yeah . . .” Minhyuk pouts. “Goodnight, Hyungwon.”

“Night, Minhyuk hyung.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello its been a while!! this fic only has another chapter until its all done!!! lets hope i stay motivated until then!!  
> as always kudos and comments much appreciated! please tell me what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments much appreciated!!


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